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From Leslie Griffiths, Methodist Minister:聽聽聽聽聽聽聽

Two larger-than-life personalities have filled my mind since I was last in the studio. Both of them were named John and their name wasn鈥檛 the only thing they shared. One was the late Johnny Hallyday who made a spectacular contribution to French culture and changed its music forever. The 鈥淔rench Elvis鈥� got a whole nation, the rich man in his castle and the poor man at the gate, rocking and rolling, twisting and turning, as if there were no tomorrow. The eulogy at his funeral was given by no less than the President of the Republic. Hundreds of bikers roared down the Champs Elys茅es and a million people turned out to pay their last respects.

The other Johnny nagging away at me was John-the-Baptist. Last Sunday was the day Christians focused on his ministry. He too made an eye-catching entry into his nation鈥檚 life and changed the mood music for countless generations to come. Long before we had social media, he drew vast crowds of people who ventured into the desert to hear him speak. His message, like his dress, was stark but his charisma ensured that people hung on his every word.

Johnny Hallyday鈥檚 best friend said something at the funeral which stuck in my mind. 鈥淛ohnny brushed aside disaster and self-destruction,鈥� he said, 鈥渁nd this made him worthy of respect. He became a man through his errors.鈥�

You could argue that John the Baptist made an error of judgement by telling the people unrelentingly what their leaders didn鈥檛 want them to hear 鈥� that Jesus of Nazareth, a man greater than himself, was about to make his appearance on the stage of history and change things forever. John鈥檚 popularity was his undoing and led to an untimely and ugly death.

I know that, at one level, this is a silly comparison. Yet I really do feel these two men hang in together. They fought their corner, one culturally and the other in the realm of religion. They changed perceptions and touched people鈥檚 lives. And their heritage lives on 鈥� in the case of John the Baptist, for two thousand years and still counting. Surely, we can thank God for both of them.